We’re finally heading into cozy season, and the best romance books of September 2026 are coming right along with us! This month’s romances have a very seasonal feel, with plenty of cozy and spooky vibes. It’s not all about the supernatural, though! We’ve also got romances against backdrops like political campaigns, Renaissance Faires, and the scariest of all: the reappearance of an ex.
Here’s what we’ll be reading this September — see what sounds right to add to your TBR!
See You Next Tuesday by Kate Stayman-London
Release date: September 8
Read it if: You still rewatch The West Wing for a dose of (sadly fictional) idealism. Over the course of a decade, two staffers go from enemies to lovers and back again.
Publisher’s synopsis: Anya Katz is Type A and highly driven with unfaltering morals. She’s never met a group project she wouldn’t rather do all by herself. Gabe Hunt is a staggeringly handsome and charming golden boy who’ll do whatever it takes to win. At work on Democratic campaigns, Anya and Gabe fight about everything—but how long can they fight their undeniable attraction?
See You Next Tuesday follows Anya and Gabe through a decade of elections, from all-night phone banks and piles of greasy takeout to glitzy celebrity fundraisers and presidential debates. They say politics is the art of making change, but working in politics changes you. And Anya and Gabe navigate dizzying highs and devastating lows in their professional and personal lives as they evolve from enemies to grudgingly respectful colleagues to best friends to lovers . . . to bitter rivals.
Get it on Amazon or support local bookstores on Bookshop.org.
With All My Haunted Heart by Isabel Sterling
Release date: September 8
Read it if: You want a tongue-in-cheek twist on cozy tropes in the best romance books of September 2026. A B&B owner hires a witch to purposefully (and safely) haunt the property for publicity.
Publisher’s synopsis: Steadily losing clients to the new DIY-magic shop on the other side of town, Pippa Ainsley is getting desperate. Instead of paying the witch to correct their magical maladies, local mundanes have been taking their chances with the cheaper—and unpredictable—crystals and herbal blends. So when Pippa’s best friend hires her to inspect his newly acquired bed-and-breakfast for ghosts, she doesn’t think twice about it.
That is, until she learns that his unfairly attractive co-owner, Elle Thompson, doesn’t want Pippa to rid their business of spirits. She wants Pippa to give them an edge over the competition by haunting their B&B.
It’s the perfect challenge for Pippa’s experimental magic. But just because she could figure it out, doesn’t mean it’s a smart or safe idea. But Elle is persistent, and the financial boost could save her own business if Pippa succeeds. Soon, Pippa finds herself testing the limits of her magic… and her ability to stop the growing attraction she feels toward Elle, a woman with a painful secret of her own.
Get it on Amazon or support local bookstores on Bookshop.org.
Fall Into Place by Kristyn J. Miller
Release date: September 8
Read it if: Fall vibes are top of your wishlist for the best romance books of September 2026. Before her family orchard is sold, a woman returns home for one last autumn — reconnecting with her long-ago crush.
Publisher’s synopsis: Lenore’s life is falling apart. Propelled home from Manhattan to rural Vermont to spend one final autumn at her family’s historic apple orchard before it’s sold, Lenore struggles to say goodbye. Not only to French Hill Farm, but to everything that once inspired her art. Soon enough, entries in her late grandmother’s journal reignite memories of Lenore’s childhood―and the crush on the groundskeeper’s son she’s since tried to forget.
Callan’s path has been laid out for him for as long as he can remember. Live, work, and die in Whitbury, Vermont. He’s taken over for his father as the groundskeeper at French Hill Farm. But now that it’s soon to be sold, his future has turned abruptly uncertain. The last thing he needs is a distraction―like Lenore French showing up out of the blue, looking even better than he remembered. As his best friend’s little sister, she’s always been off limits. And the last time they saw each other, he blew his chance anyway.
Lenore has long believed that her dreams are too big for the small town she grew up in―the same town Callan believes he can never outrun. But one last autumn together could paint their hometown―and each other―in a brand new light.
Get it on Amazon or support local bookstores on Bookshop.org.
Grim Tidings by B.K. Borison
Release date: September 15
Read it if: You’re here for an opposites-attract romance (with a supernatural twist) in the best romance books of September 2026. Determined to escape her role, a grim reaper plans to break the rules, running into a mistrustful angel.
Publisher’s synopsis: Darcy Moore is tired of death. Which would be fine and good … if she wasn’t a Grim Reaper. Determined to outrun her designation as the villain, Darcy decides she won’t be dragging her next assignment to the underworld. She’ll be saving him instead.
Unfortunately for Darcy, there’s a complication in her plan. Guardian Angel Gabriel Aetos doesn’t tolerate threats to his little corner of the world. And a Grim Reaper showing up at his bar is as deadly as it gets. But when he realizes Darcy is not as she seems, Gabriel must decide if he can trust his growing feelings or hold on to his long-standing grudge.
But magic doesn’t come without consequences. And the Department of Hauntings & Spirits will eventually come calling for their missing Reaper.
Get it on Amazon or support local bookstores on Bookshop.org.
Doomsdate by Laura Lee Piper
Release date: September 15
Read it if: You want a quirky, unique premise for the best romance books of September 2026. Amidst an apocalypse, a doomsday prepper and a nerdy professor make a deal to help each other survive.
Publisher’s synopsis: With a new virus spreading and a lockdown on the horizon, Maisie Bennett is determined to check one item off her bucket list: Get laid. But that’s no easy feat for an anxious doomsday prepper who’s never made it past a first date. So when a handsome, stubbly-jawed professor swipes right and agrees to meet up, Maisie vows to act normal—and to leave her taser at home.
Dr. Everett Greer has lost all lust for life after a personal tragedy. But he doesn’t have the heart to stand up the poor woman his best friend catfished to force him back “out there.” Maisie turns out to be surprisingly lovely. But there’s something off about her, too, with her clinking cargo pockets, shy smile, and utility belt full of—are those weapons? Unfortunately, their awkward first date goes from bad to doomed when the GI virus that’s trapped half of America in the bathroom starts claiming its first casualties, then reanimates them into flesh-eating zombies. And this is precisely why Everett doesn’t date anymore.
As the country spins out of control, Maisie and Everett find themselves an unlikely team of two—well, three, if you count Everett’s cat, Chicken—as they travel north to hopeful safety. Along the way, Maisie and Everett make a deal. She’ll teach the soft, liberal arts professor how to survive, and he’ll teach her how to live—through movies, travel, and, to Maisie’s delight, sex lessons. But when their growing feelings are put to the test, they’re in danger of losing not only their brains to the zombies, but worse, their hearts to each other.
Get it on Amazon or support local bookstores on Bookshop.org.
Well Versed by Jen DeLuca
Release date: September 22
Read it if: You have a standard character type for the Ren Faire. Years after her first heartbreak, a woman reunites with her years-ago summer fling at their local Faire.
Publisher’s synopsis: Caitlin Parker was eighteen when she fell out of love with the magic of the Willow Creek Renaissance Faire—the site of her first real heartbreak. But now, twenty-four and unemployed, she finds herself in her childhood bedroom and her childhood lady-in-waiting costume, assisting a rotating cast of substitute queens for the season. The very last person she wants to see is Alexander Wright—the sword-fighting, Shakespeare-spouting young man who won and broke her teenage heart. Yet there he is, older, annoyingly hotter, and back on stage at her Faire.
When Alex broke things off with Caitlin the first time, he thought he was just ending a summer fling. He didn’t realize how much he’d fallen for her until he let her go. And he certainly didn’t know he’d tarnished her memories of her cherished Faire and worse, shattered her view on love and relationships. His need to right that wrong this summer brings them together again and again, and this time, it won’t be so easy to let go of this summer fling.
But as summer winds down, real life is catching up to both of them. Caitlin’s always thought that being an adult with adult responsibilities means leaving whimsy behind. Alex, with a life full of stage combat, songs, and sonnets, doesn’t know how to live any other way. Can they go after their dreams and find a future together where they can still say “huzzah”?
Get it on Amazon or support local bookstores on Bookshop.org.
You’re the One That I Haunt by Katie Jung
Release date: September 22
Read it if: You want a supernaturally-complicated love triangle in the best romance books of September 2026. A woman must help a ghost resolve his unfinished business… which requires her to ensure her crush’s wedding happens.
Publisher’s synopsis: Libby Lakoski has two major problems. First, she’s secretly in love with her best friend, Carter Coldwell, and second, he’s marrying someone else. Carter’s the only person who has ever made Libby feel chosen. And sure, his fiancee is a British diamond heiress. But Carter and Libby have years of shared history and longing looks between them. Not to mention, Libby is the only person Carter trusted enough to tell about the dark magic that plagues his family.
But then a third and related problem presents itself—or, himself. Trip Coldwell is Carter’s handsome, smart, flirtatious cousin who also happens to be… a ghost. Trip’s “unfinished business” is to break the Coldwell curse. But the solution hinges on Libby encouraging Carter to allow his wedding to proceed. Unfortunately, Libby is the only person who can see Trip, and her objective is the exact opposite. Can Libby put aside her pining for Carter and work with his hot and not-quite-living cousin to save both men?
As they follow a trail of clues across New York City, Libby finds herself questioning just how much Carter reciprocated her friendship, feeling perplexed by a growing attraction to Trip, and fantasizing about actually touching him. With the countdown to the wedding in full swing, Libby must choose between saving the Coldwells and holding tight to her own happily ever after.
Get it on Amazon or support local bookstores on Bookshop.org.
Isn’t He Romantic by Adib Khorram
Release date: September 22
Read it if: You love the fake dating trope, especially when exes are involved. To fend off his recently-returned ex, a cellist convinces a former one-night-stand to pretend to be his new love.
Publisher’s synopsis: Arya’s always been a “one-and-done” man when it comes to romance. But with his friends all pairing up and the big 4-0 creeping ever closer, he’s starting to question his life choices. Especially when he discovers his latest hookup is the new committee chair for the charity ball Arya’s company is planning.
Ben’s plan to start over in Kansas City isn’t going so great. And having to spend lots of time with the one-night stand who ghosted him isn’t helping. Worse yet, when his ex-boyfriend shows up looking for a reunion, a panicked Ben claims he’s already moved on. With Arya.
Torn between staying professional and helping the man he can’t forget, Arya agrees to give Ben a hand, in exchange for Ben’s help landing a big client. But when the lines start to blur, they’ll have to decide if it’s time to change their tunes about love.
Get it on Amazon or support local bookstores on Bookshop.org.
Damned If I Do by Alexandria Bellefleur
Release date: September 22
Read it if: You’re already ready for spooky season in the best romance books of September 2026. A high-ranking demon must convince her centuries-ago ex to renounce their vows… which he doesn’t remember.
Publisher’s synopsis: Effie MacLeod is no stranger to making desperate decisions. But making a deal with Lucifer himself—sacrificing her soul to save a loved one—has got to be her most monumental. Several hundred years into her tenure as a demon, Effie’s found herself engaged to Belphegor, a handsome, seductive, and successful Prince of Hell. It’s not a love match, but it’ll do. There’s just one teensy-tiny little problem: She’s still bound to her sixteenth-century Scottish husband. While Effie has completely cast her human life aside, Finn has been reincarnated through several lifetimes.
Effie must convince Finn to renounce their age-old vows in order get the Office of Infernal Internal Affairs off her back. The kicker? When she finds him in this lifetime, Finn doesn’t remember anything, but he refuses her request for a divorce.
Annoyed to be stuck with him in small-town Georgia until she can persuade Finn to abandon their marriage, Effie must convince him that yes, she does want to get on with her devilish shenanigans despite the physical pull she feels toward him. As they get closer in hopes of recovering his lost memories, Effie can’t help but notice murmurings of her deeply buried feelings resurfacing. But while all’s fair in love and war, that’s not the case in Hell. And Lucifer may have his own reasons for wanting to keep Finn and Effie apart for the rest of eternity.
Get it on Amazon or support local bookstores on Bookshop.org.
Spellstruck by Martha Waters
Release date: September 29
Read it if: You want a magical alt-1920s setting in the best romance books of September 2026. The operator of a magical speakeasy reluctantly teams up with a government agent to investigate dangerous accidents.
Publisher’s synopsis: In an alternate version of 1920s London, vestiges of England’s magical past exist. But the use of magic has been outlawed, leading families still with powers to operate illegal speakeasies for a public still hungry for magic. Vesper Holloway runs her family club, where a dash of spell powder or an enchanted cocktail can add a little extra intrigue to the evening. But when a spate of accidents strikes these establishments, she worries patrons will flee her family’s business.
Enter Maxwell Ashbridge, a onetime friend of Vesper’s brother, who has joined the government agency tasked with enforcing the ban, and who has a personal vendetta against the magical elite. But he does not have a vendetta against Vesper; in fact, he finds her rather enticing. He promises immunity for her club if she teams up with him to investigate, which does little to quell the growing chemistry they share. As accidents continue and the fight to repeal the ban gains ground in Parliament, Vesper and Max will have to decide. Is the magic between them worth fighting for?
Get it on Amazon or support local bookstores on Bookshop.org.
Take a Chance, Sasha Sinclair by Ashley Herring Blake
Release date: September 29
Read it if: You love small-town lore that just skirts the supernatural. When her family’s occult-themed businesses falter, a young woman must work with a peppy filmmaker to save the day.
Publisher’s synopsis: Sasha Sinclair is used to being alone. Her parents, successful documentary filmmakers, died in a car accident three years ago, leaving her with a legacy she’s been unable to live up to. Instead, she spends her time with casual hookups and odd jobs as she travels around the country. But she can’t stop thinking about her parents’ dream project and is determined to make it a reality: the story of Alice Bishop in Clare Mountain, North Carolina.
Margot Bishop is not a witch, contrary to the town’s century-long suspicion about her family. When her ancestor Alice Bishop showed up to Clare Mountain in 1901 and opened Thornrose Apothecary, the town was flummoxed by this strange enigma of a woman, calling her the Rose Witch. Now, the Bishops also run Ghostlight, an occult-themed amusement park that fully leans into the rumors.
Despite the draw of the Rose Witch and the haunted Thornrose Woods where Alice had lived, however, the Bishops’ businesses aren’t doing well. When Margot’s mother comes up with a solution—a documentary film about their family—Margot can’t get on board, not when her family’s legacy is at stake. Even worse, she’s deemed the point person for Sasha, the charming, peppy wannabe-filmmaker. But as they spend more time together, diving deeper into the true story of Alice Bishop, the ice slowly melts and their relationship turns into a heart-fluttering rollercoaster ride. One they aren’t sure they want to get off.
Get it on Amazon or support local bookstores on Bookshop.org.
Happily Ever Afterlife by Emma R. Alban
Release date: September 29
Read it if: You want Ghost meets Just Like Heaven vibes in the best romance books of September 2026. A frustrated writer falls for the ghost in a haunted building.
Publisher’s synopsis: Frannie’s awful boss, celebrated literary novelist Henry L. Olsen, just told her that her latest manuscript is a dud—again. Frustrated and lonely, Frannie stomps around the ninth floor of the famously haunted Dakota Building in Manhattan, desperate for change.
And then Bridgette, the ghost of a little girl, appears and asks Frannie to play catch. Shocked, Frannie agrees and soon meets Bridgette’s ghost brother, Michael…and the children’s exceedingly attractive and aloof ghost mom, Elsa.
Fascinated and more than a little flustered, Frannie starts writing a book about Elsa (a.k.a. Hot Ghost Mom). While her boss is on a book tour, Frannie and Elsa slowly become friends, which blossoms into something more.
To stay with Elsa and the kids, Frannie has to either give up her ambitions of becoming a novelist or somehow free her ghost family from their immortal home. Can Frannie find a way to write them all a happily-ever-after…life?
Get it on Amazon or support local bookstores on Bookshop.org.
